Storm Review

"Let the Elements Carry your Seed"

Campaign

Your goal as the guardian elements is to guide the humble seed on its inspiring quest to get planted. That’s putting it in most elegant terms, but really you are just attempting to get a seed to the planting spot to either grow a tree to continue or finish a level. You do this by controlling the differing forces of nature; from wind, to lightening or even wild tornados. It sounds like a simplistic formula, though this can become very intricate in detail through a manner of tricky map placement and dynamic levels. This creates a sense of trial and error of which you must figure out exactly what to do in order to complete the tasks, such as crushing a tree or aiming to strike boulders to tumble at a particular moment. This can lead to some frustration as in all puzzle games, but the ending result feels very rewarding. The style is definitely something different and a change from the usual puzzle games combining a very artistic environment with a dynamic world where you want to plant trees for some reason. The world gives you all the seasons set into different sections with a number of element abilities that match the season. There is a number of side options available to add some replay ability to the title from collecting a vast sum of sprites or even plainly trying to beat past scores if that is your overall goal in games.

Gameplay

Everything in the environment feels alive across the luscious plain where the elements gracefully push the seed through it. The style really does look original and the style of puzzle is something completely new. There may be some issues in your trial and error, but all the work of planting the tree is rewardfull. For some the game may be vastly boring, but no matter what you will appreciate the unique art style and gameplay.

The Conclusion

It all comes down to a mix of art and the progress of planting seeds. Get your seed there using the elements and some oddly random bubbles that can be manipulated. Levels are fairly quick depending on how well you clique with it and that creates variation. Protect the seeds and plant them in most somewhat natural of ways.

Storm for Xbox 360 and Playstation 3

Rating Overall: 7.0